4 stranded pilot whales moved to SeaWorld for care

Four young pilot whales that survived a stranding on a central Florida beach have been moved to SeaWorld Orlando.

The short-finned pilot whales were moved Wednesday from Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. The whales had been at the Fort Pierce rehabilitation center since Saturday.

A pod of 22 pilot whales stranded Saturday on the beach at Avalon State Park in St. Lucie County. Seventeen of the whales either died of natural causes or had to be euthanized on the beach. A fifth juvenile whale brought to the FAU facility died Monday.

At SeaWorld, the surviving whales are receiving round-the-clock care in quarantine.

Experts say the animals, who range in size from 130 to 325 pounds, are in guarded condition.

A female whale is so young her teeth have not yet developed, according to SeaWorld. The older animals will be tube-fed until they are able to eat fish.

The whales moved to SeaWorld in custom-made trucks full of water.

"You don't just put them in there and say, 'OK, we're closing the door and shooting down the road.' We have a team of experts, veterinarians that travel with these animals," said SeaWorld spokesman Mike Boos. "For the operation that occurred last night we had 25 people."

The hope is that the whales can be returned to the wild, but right now SeaWorld says they are taking it day-by-day.

SeaWorld also is caring for two other pilot whales that stranded last year in the Florida Keys.

Copyright 2012 byWESH.com The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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